Orange City, Iowa (RI) — It’s a tradition for riders in the RAGBRAI bike ride to start by dipping their back tires in the Missouri River at the beginning of the ride, and finish by dipping their front tires in the Mississippi River at the end. But sometimes, that’s less than practical.
This week, RAGBRAI started more than 20 miles away from the Missouri River in Orange City, but bikers still did the traditional tire dip in Missouri River water.
People from Orange City filled their downtown canal in Windmill Park with Missouri River water Saturday, symbolizing Iowa’s western border. Bike riders could access the canal in Windmill Park all day Saturday, and dipped their rear tire, took photos, and commemorated the official start of the ride. Volunteers were on-site to help capture the photos.
It’s not a unique situation. In other years, when the ride didn’t start near the Missouri, water has been trucked in. And sometimes, when the ride starts in far-northwestern Iowa, riders have dipped their back tires in the Big Sioux River instead, since it forms the western border of the state north of Sioux City.
(By Woody Gottberg, KSCJ, Sioux City and KIWA Staff)
KIWA Staff Photo
